


play ball

by qqtahng



Series: Princely Relations [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-25 17:01:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14383059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qqtahng/pseuds/qqtahng
Summary: Azura had gotten better at dealing with children.Just a little better.





	play ball

**Author's Note:**

> unbeta'd as always

Hoshido had always been a sunny place. It was always warm somehow, even in the winter when snow would cover the ground. Everyone bundled in cozy outfits and sharing cups of tea sweetened with honey with friends and strangers alike. Hoshido was always warm. 

Spring, however, was Azura’s favorite time in Hoshido. Plants began to revive and songbirds would come back and sing their songs. Life would spring back into existence after a sleepy winter. She would frequent parks to observe the many blooming sakura trees.

Many people had the same idea that she did, as they strolled gazing at the trees before the pink petals were to scatter. It was mainly older people who partook in watching, and younger children gathered in groups to play their games as their parents found a moment of calm beneath the trees. 

Azura was enjoying the sight until she felt something bump against her foot. She looked down and saw a kebane shuttlecock next to her feet. She heard a child’s voice call to her as she picked it up.

“Hey! Hey miss! Sorry about that, Daichi kicks it really hard.”

She turned towards the child and smiled, “Oh, no worries. Here.” She handed the shuttlecock back to the child.

“Thank you, miss! Hey, d’you wanna play with us? You don’t seem old enough to be doing that boring tree-watching stuff.” The child looked up at her, “We have enough room for you!”

More children started running over, probably to see what was taking so long to get back the shuttlecock. Azura wasn’t sure of her capabilities in dealing with this many children, “Ah, well, thank you for the offer, but I don’t think I should play… I’ve never really had the chance to play before so I’m probably not very good.”

“Aw, what! C’mon miss I think you’d be really good at it. You should play one game at least to see how you like it!”

All the other children seemed to be on board with an extra player, joining in with cries of “Please!” and “Let’s go play!” to the point where Azura was beginning to panic trying to think of a way out without hurting their feelings.

“Oh, children please now… I really don’t think I’d be good at this.” What followed that statement was a chorus of whining and various pitches of Noooooo’s. 

At this point the small force of children were practically dragging her over to their play area, clearly intent on getting her to play a round, and stopped only when she heard a familiar voice, “Azura? Is that you? What’s going on here?” 

She looked over to the owner of the voice and saw Takumi, dressed casually in a yukata and his hair in a loose bun, probably to make him stand out less in public. “Why is it that whenever you’re having trouble, it always seems to be with kids?”

“Oh, thank goodness. Hello Takumi, I certainly do find myself in a bit of a situation here. You see, these children are very insistent that I join them in their kebane game for some reason.” Azura sighed, “Do you think you can convince them otherwise?”

Takumi crossed his arms and looked contemplative, “Hmm, an interesting predicament. So why don’t you play?”

He tilted his head and, as if on cue, all the kids also tilted their heads. It was kind of adorable how influential Takumi was on kids, unintentional or not, and Azura would have cooed at the sight had she not been the center of attention. 

“I just… I don’t think I would be any good at it. Me playing would probably only slow the game down. Plus I would lose very, very easily.”

Takumi rolled his eyes, “Oh come on, losing isn’t the end of the world Azura. ...Okay that’s a little hypocritical coming from me, but you always beat me at hanetsuki. Hell, you can beat everyone at hanetsuki! And we still play it with you because we have fun! So if we can do that, then I don’t see why you can’t give this a shot.”

“Takumi I really do appreciate your effort in trying to get me to have fun, but...”  Azura desperately tried to think of a reason to avoid playing, “I uh… I don’t have any shoes.” She supplied lamely, “I feel like kicking something like that might hurt if I’m barefoot.”

Takumi looked at her skeptically for a few moments and sighed, “Alright, alright. I mean, we’re all wearing sandals so we’re not much better off, but if you really don’t wanna play I won’t force you. I know how it feels to be forced into doing things you don’t want to do. Stupid court parties…” He mumbled the last bit under his breath, but Azura still couldn’t help but let out a little giggle. 

“Thanks Takumi. I would love to stay and watch though. If that’s alright, of course.”

Takumi raised an eyebrow, “‘If that’s alright’? Azura, you don’t have to ask permission to watch a children’s game of kebane,” He turned towards the group of children, “Alright guys, looks like Azura here is really convinced that we wouldn’t have any fun without her. What do you say we all play a game and show her how it’s done first, yeah?”

A chorus of enthused YEAH!’s rose from the children as they all scattered a fair distance from each other to ready a match. 

Takumi started off with a kick. The shuttlecock bounced from one child to another, gradually gaining speed and height with each progressive pass. It didn’t take long before all the players were scrambling just to keep the piece in play. Some needed to slide this way and that to make miraculous saves from kicks that sent the shuttlecock way out of the range of the play area. 

Azura gasped after seeing Takumi nearly run into a tree after a particularly difficult save, only to get back without a worry. “I got it! Just keep it going guys!” 

That round only ended when one kid, probably Daichi again, kicked the shuttlecock a little too high and it got stuck in a tree. 

“Aw man… Way to go Daichi.”

“Sorr-y! You know I get too excited easily!”

Azura looked up at the tree where the plaything landed. It was fairly high up, and then she noticed movement in her periphery. She turned to look fully and saw Takumi beginning to climb the tree. He was hoisting himself up one branch after another, letting out little grunts as he did so. He finally got close enough to reach out and grab the feathered game piece. 

“Here! Catch!” It dropped straight into Azura’s hands.

Takumi then leaned back and rested against the trunk of the tree and let out a dramatic sigh, “Oh boy, that sure took a lot out of me. Azura, you’re going to have to take my place.” A smug smile spread over his face.

“Wh- Oh Takumi you little-”

“Oh come on Azura,” Takumi stretched his arms, “I saw you watching that match. You totally looked like you wanted to play. Just give it a go. You don’t have to be as fancy as everyone else, just do your best to keep it in the air.” 

“Oh is she gonna play with us? Hey guys, Azura’s gonna play with us!” A chorus of cheers went up from the children.

“Are you really going to say no after hearing such a joyous sound?” Takumi’s cheshire cat grin had yet to fade. Azura found it mildly irksome that he was right about her wanting to play, but she didn’t deny it.

“I suppose I can partake in one round…”

Takumi gave her a thumbs up, “Go get ‘em tiger.”

And so the game resumed, with Azura subbing in for Takumi. At first, she dropped the shuttlecock a few times or sent it careening into a completely different direction that she had intended, but after a few tries Azura found herself having more fun than she expected. 

A good number of games were played before eventually the parents of the children came to collect them and return home. Each of them bid Azura and Takumi, who was still watching from the tree, a farewell. 

The last child Daichi, as it were, finally had to go home as evening was fast approaching, “Aw, it’s gettin’ late… I guess I should head home. It was super fun playing with you though Azura! And Takumi too! Uh, Takumi?” He looked confused as he looked up the tree.

Azura followed his gaze and saw that Takumi had dozed off, arms crossed and head lolling forward. She was honestly impressed that he managed to stay balanced as he slept. And then a wicked idea crept into her mind.

“Hey Daichi, can you move back a little? Over there, away from the tree.”

Daichi obeyed, although he looked confused as to why she would request that.

Azura took a deep breath and yelled as loud as she dared, “HEY TAKUMI! WAKE UP!”

“AGH?!” That jolted Takumi awake as a crazed expression took over his face briefly before he promptly lost his balance and fell out of the tree. Azura immediately regretted doing that as Daichi stood by guffawing. 

“Oh goodness! I didn’t think you would startle that badly, Takumi. I’m sorry! Here,” She helped him sit up.

“Ow… geez Azura I didn’t think you could yell that loudly…” Takumi rubbed his back, “I don’t think I broke anything but gods… I was having such a nice time before that.”

Daichi finally calmed down enough from laughing enough to bid them farewell, “Oh man, that was great. Sorry for laughing Takumi but I really gotta go! Bye Azura! Bye Takumi!” He started to run off after that, but paused and turned around, “You know, you guys have really cool names! Like the ones from the royal family! Okay, bye for real this time!” 

Azura watched his silhouette fade into the sunset before helping Takumi stand, “Did those children really not know who we were?”

“Probably not, kids that age don’t pay much attention to politics. And honestly? It’d be so much more awkward if they did know. It’s fun to mingle with people when they drop all the honorifics, makes them appreciate who you are as a person and not because of your title, you know?” He gestured to himself, “Which is why I dress like this whenever I leave the castle. Looks way less conspicuous this way.”

Azura made a thoughtful noise, “Well, today was indeed very fun. Maybe I should consider doing that more often… Oh but what am I saying! We should get you back and checked first.”

“Ugh,” Takumi made a face, “I’m sure it’s fine. Sakura’s gonna question it and I do not want to tell her that I fell out of a tree.”

“We could always say you intervened in a bar fight? Distracted an assailant from a poor victim? Oh, how about we say that you bravely stopped a robbery from a candy shop?” 

“All of those sound more dignified than falling out of a tree… Let’s go with the second one. I don’t think Sakura would believe that you or I would be at a bar. And she knows I wouldn’t go to a candy shop two days in a row. Shit! Shit, I mean-” Takumi looked around nervously, Azura couldn’t help but giggle. Takumi’s sweet tooth was probably the worst kept secret in all of the royal family.

“It’s okay Takumi, we can use the assailant excuse if you really want to.”

“Th-thanks Azura…”

“But!” She held up a finger, “In return for my cooperation, can we buy a kebane shuttlecock on the way home?”

“So you got your first taste of it and now you’re addicted, huh? Yeah, I supposed we could snag one on the way home. I wonder if we could rope everyone into playing a game of it… Hinata and Oboro would be down, I’m sure we could goad Hinoka into it. Sakura and Ryoma would be the difficult ones though.”

“Oh I’m sure you can manage, you got me playing after all!”

“Hm, yeah. Maybe you’re right.”

Idle chatter continued as they made their way home, searching for stores that sold the little feathery game piece along the way.

They arrived on Shirasagi’s doorstep with Azura grinning from ear to ear, Takumi sighing deeply, and each with an armful of kebane shuttlecocks.

**Author's Note:**

> i always did like takumi and azura's c-a supports


End file.
